Allardyce eyeing van Nistelrooy swoop
Allardyce is keen to sign the Real Madrid striker
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Saturday, 27, Jun 2009 12:20
Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce says he is interested in bringing Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy back to the Premier League.
Van Nistelrooy's possible availability became clear when Tottenham Hotspur enquired about the former Manchester United striker earlier this month.
However, Spurs decided to re-think the move following the Dutchman's wage demands of over £70,000-a-week.
Allardyce says he wants to use van Nistelrooy at Blackburn in the same way he did with Nicolas Anelka at Bolton.
"I [spent all the money on one player] a few years ago with Nicolas at Bolton," Allardyce told the Independent.
"His goals took us up to the next level. It's what it did to the rest of the players as well as what he did. Who'd have thought Bolton would get Nicolas Anelka? Nobody did. But I went out and did it."
"It would be nice to do it with a Van Nistelrooy, I don't know," the Rovers boss added.
Allardyce is looking to find a new striker following Roque Santa Cruz's departure to Manchester City and has £18 million from that transfer at his disposal.
Van Nistelrooy would probably cost less than £5 million but Allardyce says his wages would be the biggest obstacle.
He explained: "It was hugely difficult at the time [when Anelka joined Bolton] but it's much more difficult now.
"The sort of salary [Van Nistelrooy] would be on at Real Madrid may be beyond us. But maybe he wants to come and play in England again and take less of a salary, then we'd be interested. It would be a major coup if I could pull it off."
Van Nistelrooy is currently recovering from a knee injury and could be surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu after Madrid purchased Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka this summer.